


Living Sound

by rubylily



Category: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi | Sunday Without God
Genre: Cuddling, Family, Gen, Heartbeats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-26 09:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/964498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubylily/pseuds/rubylily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ai listens to Julie's heartbeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Living Sound

The abandoned church was fairly small, and as the ceiling and walls had yet to collapse, there was little rubble. The pews had apparently been removed sometime long ago, and only marks on the floor remained. The windows were mostly intact, and enough moonlight came through that Ai, Julie, and Scar could see reasonably well.

"Is this place safe?" Ai asked as she walked forward and observed her surroundings. For some reason, this place sent a chill down her spine.

"Yeah, it is," Julie answered as he set down his bag and rifle. "I was just here a few days ago, and I searched the place thoroughly. There's no one here, so we can spend the night."

"I sense no one as well," Scar added. "But in any case, I will stand watch through the night."

"Huh?" Julie turned to face her. "Don't you need sleep too?"

Scar merely smiled. "Gravekeepers can go a few nights without sleep."

Julie shrugged. "All right, suit yourself."

Ai said nothing; she only frowned. She couldn't go a night without sleep, and she couldn't remember if her mother ever had.

Julie patted her shoulder, jolting her out of her thoughts. "Don't think too much about what she says," he told her. "Let's just eat now."

It didn't take long to prepare the meal. The three of them ate a cold meal of bread and fruit, as Julie had opted not to make a fire, and Scar ate less than the other two. After the meal, Julie decided to try sleeping, and he told Ai not to leave the main area - Scar would stop her if she tried - and not to touch his weapons under any circumstances. Ai agreed without arguing.

Julie slept near the steps leading to the altar and he was using his bag as a pillow, and Scar sat near the entrance, clutching her shovel tightly. Ai was also still awake, and her own shovel lay next to her. She was close to the stained glass window, whose colors had long since faded, and the shadow of the crucifix fell near Julie.

Ai shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around herself, although she wasn't really cold. It had only been two days since she had left her village. Julie was kind to her and Scar was polite, but she didn't feel entirely comfortable around either of them yet. Scar usually kept to herself, and Julie had bouts of bitterness and loneliness.

She glanced toward Julie, and he looked to be sound asleep. He lay in the shadows, where no light would disturb him. She forced a smile; despite her discomfort, she was grateful for his and Scar's presences. She hadn't wanted to journey alone.

She stood up and walked over to Julie and knelt next to him. His breathing was slow and regular, but he didn't snore. He was certainly tall, and his clothes hung loose on his body, and as she watched him, she lightly touched his face. His stubble was rough against her skin, but he was pleasantly warm, different from how Yoki and Anna had felt.

She understood what that meant - Julie felt _alive_. Blood flowed through his veins, and that was because his heart still beat, she knew. Hesitating for a moment, she laid her head on his chest, and the sound of his heartbeat filled her ears.

None of the villagers had ever hugged her tight enough for her to notice a heartbeat - or a lack of one. She remembered listening to her mother's, but that was a distant memory.

In that way, Julie's heartbeat sounded vaguely nostalgic.

_Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump._ It was a nice rhythm.

Ai clutched Julie's shirt tighter as she buried her face more in his chest. He felt strong, and he didn't even smell that bad. She wasn't sure how to describe it, but it made her feel safe. The scent was almost fatherly, in a way. She kind of liked it.

But she nearly screamed when she felt a large hand grab her shoulder. "Ai, I'm not a pillow," Julie said in a quiet voice.

"I-I'm sorry!" Ai exclaimed, her face bright red, and she tried to move, but Julie's hand kept her in place.

"Let me finish," he added, sounding annoyed. "I'm not a pillow, but if it helps you sleep, you can use me as one."

Ai loosened her hold on his shirt. "It's not that. I… I just wanted to listen to your heartbeat." She couldn't see his face, so she could only imagine his expression upon hearing those words.

Julie was silent for a moment. "My daughter also liked to listen to my heartbeat," he said finally, and his voice sounded softer.

Ai blinked in surprise. "Your daughter?"

"Especially after… after my wife was buried," Julie continued. "I think she was obsessed with making sure I was still alive. But I didn't mind. I loved holding her, letting her listen to my heartbeat. When… when she died, she asked me to hold her as long as possible, so… so she could hear my heart before the gravekeepers buried her…"

"Julie…" was all Ai could say. She heard him choke back a sob - was he crying? But she was afraid to look, in case he didn't want her to see his tears.

She bit her lower lip. She hadn't meant to bring up painful memories.

"I'm sorry, Julie, I didn't mean…" Ai tried to move again, but Julie's hand was firm.

"No… no, it's okay, Ai," Julie reassured her, gently stroking her long hair. "It's painful, yeah, but I have a lot of happy memories as well."

Ai managed a small smile. "Happy memories, hm?" she replied as she wrapped her arm around his waist to pull herself closer to him. "I have some happy memories of my parents too."

"I know," Julie said, and Ai heard his heart beat faster. "I'm sure Hampn– Kizuna was happy to finally meet you too."

Ai said nothing in response. Julie did feel different form her father - stronger, warmer. But she hadn't been able to hold her father until after he had died, and thus she never had the chance to listen to his heartbeat. Julie's really was the first she had heard in a long time.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Julie asked, his rough voice cutting through Ai's thoughts. "You went silent all of a sudden."

"Nothing's wrong," Ai replied, letting out a quiet giggle. "I wanted to listen more to your heartbeat. It's like a living sound."

Julie gave Ai's shoulder a little squeeze. "Yeah, I guess it's something like that."

His hand was protective, Ai thought, and she did feel a little safer with him. He really was like a father, but was it all right for her to have a second father? And did he really want to take care of another child? "Julie, how did you feel when your daughter was born?"

Julie didn't answer right away. Eventually, he said, "I was happy, and maybe kind of surprised. I was barely out of high school when she was born. But even before God abandoned us, the world already seemed like it was going to hell, so I wanted to start a family as soon as possible. When I had my wife and child to love and protect, I had a reason to live."

His heart was racing again, Ai noticed. "Is that why you're traveling with me?" she asked.

Julie's fingers tensed. "It's not the only reason," he answered quickly. "This world is dangerous for a little girl by herself, so I'll protect you as long as you need me, and it's because I want to. You're not a burden, Ai. I do care about you."

Ai cuddled more against Julie's chest. His shirt was rough on her cheek, but it was nice being near him like this. "Thank you, Julie. I'm glad I have you and Scar."

A soft laugh slipped from Julie's lips. "Ai, you really should sleep now. I'll give you my jacket if you're cold."

Ai shook her head, her hair rubbing against his shirt. "Then I'll have to move. I'm fine like this, really."

"If you say so." Despite those words, Julie's voice was gentle. "Goodnight, Ai."

"Goodnight, Julie," Ai said in a soft voice as she closed her eyes. She was warm enough embracing Julie, and the sound of his heartbeat soothed her as she fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
